MILWAUKEE — The Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee hosted "Styled Settings," a first-of-its-kind showcase featuring 26 artfully designed table settings created by local designers, with proceeds benefiting breast and prostate cancer research at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
The event is organized by Wisconsin Breast Cancer Show House, known as WBCS, which has raised $7.5 million for cancer research over 25 years.
"Over 25 years, we have 7.5 million, and it all goes to research," WBCS board member Linda Short said.
The showcase marks a departure from the organization's traditional show house format, in which designers transform entire rooms of a home. This year, without a house, organizers challenged designers to channel their creativity into table settings instead.
"We didn't have a house this year, so we decided we'd put the designers and their magic to work in a different way," Short said. "So, they've created these unique tables, glorious tables that people can come and view, and they're going to be able to dine at them tonight."
Short described a tablescape as a designed setting that incorporates flowers, candles, and china around a specific theme. She noted the displays could serve as inspiration for personal events.
"Someone might say, Why do I need that table? What if you have a 25th anniversary, or a graduation, or a wedding, call the designer," Short said.
Many of the participating designers have worked with WBCS for years, some for as long as two decades. Short said the shift in format gave designers a new opportunity to showcase their range.
"I think they loved it because they might have had a powder room at the house, and this way they can show their expertise," Short said.
Among the featured designers is Michael McKinley of Residence MKE, whose table is titled Miami Rice. McKinley said the design began with the linens and was built outward from there, incorporating real rice and a floral centerpiece created in collaboration with Jamie Beauchamp of Jamer's Floral.
Watch: Styled Settings showcase at the Pfister raises funds for cancer research
"I first of all, I want to say that I think everybody, every designer in the room, really understood the assignment," McKinley said.
McKinley said designers faced no creative limitations, which he credited for the variety and quality of the displays.
One table takes a more somber approach. Lynn Dixon Speller, Dean of Edessa School of Fashion, designed a setting titled Sometimes the Story Is Dark, intended to highlight the emotional weight of a cancer diagnosis.
The table features an essay written by English teacher Allison Gruber, who has had cancer three times and is currently fighting the disease. The text of the essay runs around the perimeter of the table and is also available on the school's website.
"We decided we wanted to expose the struggle of breast cancer in a palatable way, a way that people could take it in and take it seriously," Dixon Speller said.
TMJ4 learned about this event through its partnership with ImagineMKE.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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